Alexandre Louis Ducrest de VilleneuveThe

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

orthography is "Alexandre Louis du Crest de Villeneuve"; the graphy "Ducrest de Villeneuve" or "Ducrest Villeneuve" was used during the Revolution and the Empire. The archives of the Navy (see the Fonds Marine) use "Ducrest de Villeneuve", while Troude uses "Ducrest Villeneuve". (

Le Theil-de-Bretagne Le Theil-de-Bretagne (, literally ''Le Theil of Brittany''; Gallo: ''Le Teilh'', ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Le Theil-de-Bretagne are called ''Theillais'' in Fre ...

, 7 March 1777 -

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, 22 March 1852) was a French naval officer and admiral.

Career

Ducrest de Villeneuve joined the Navy in 1791, aged 14. In 1796, he was a midshipman first class, and in 1800 he had risen to ensign. In 1805, he served on ''Redoutable'', under Captain

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, and took part in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

, where he was seriously wounded trying to board HMS ''Victory''. Taken prisoner, he was detained on ''Redoutable'', and narrowly escaped drowning when she foundered the next day. In 1808, Ducrest de Villeneuve have been promoted to lieutenant and was appointed on 26 July to the command of the

aviso An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication. The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an '' ...

''Mouche n° 6'', in Bayonne. ''Mouche n° 6'' was sent in the Indian Ocean for a mission to Ile de France and

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. Upon his arrival at Manila, he was taken prisoner with his entire crew, as the government had sided for the Allies. He was rescued in early September by the brig ''Entreprenant'', under

Pierre Bouvet Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

. Ducrest de Villeneuve later published the journal of his adventures on ''Mouche n° 6'' as ''Journal du voyage de "la Mouche n°6", sous le commandement du lieutenant de vaisseau Ducrest de Villeneuve, expédiée pour l'Ile de France et Manille, en 1808''. After the action of 17–18 September 1810, in which ''Vénus'' and ''Victor'' captured HMS ''Ceylon'', Ducrest de Villeneuve was given command of the captured ''Ceylon''. However, the very next day, a British squadron comprising HMS , and the brig encountered the battered ships, and captured them all save for ''Victor''. Ducrest de Villeneuve was taken in captivity. Released in 1811 and promoted to commander, Ducrest took command of the 44-gun ''Alcmène'', part of a two-frigate squadron under Jean-Léon Émeric who had his flag on the 44-gun ''Iphigénie''. On 16 January 1814, the frigate encountered a British squadron led by the 74-gun HMS ''Venerable''. ''Iphigénie'' on her own while ''Alcmène'' was caught up and forced into action. Ducrest de Villeneuve was wounded when he brought her alongside ''Venerable'' and attempted a boarding.’’Naval Chronicle’’, Vol. 31, pp.244-5. In 1816, Ducrest de Villeneuve had been released and was in command of the fluyt ''Normande''. He ferried soldiers in the Caribbean to retake possession of the French colonies after the

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. In 1818, he sailed to Ile Maurice and Ile Bourbon to ferry passengers, notably Bouvet de Lozier. In 1820, promoted to captain, he commanded the frigate ''Antigone'', which he sailed from Rochefort to Napoli. The next year, on 3 April, he departed from Toulon to patrol off Spain and later Brazil, returning on 11 March 1822. From 1825, Ducrest de Villeneuve commanded the frigate ''Astrée'' and was appointed to the Caribbean station, under

Guy-Victor Duperré Guy-Victor Duperré (20 February 1775 – 2 November 1846) was a French naval officer and Admiral of France. He is known for commanding French naval forces in the Mauritius campaign of 1809–11 and was victorious in the Battle of Grand Port ...

. In 1826, he took command of the station, relieving vice-amiral Duperré. In August, the squadron sailed from Saint-Pierre et Miquelon to Martinique, returning on 20 December. In 1829, Ducrest de Villeneuve was promoted to contre-amiral. The next year, he was appointed major général of the fleet in Toulon. In 1832, Ducrest de Villeneuve was given command of an eleven-ship division that surveilled the coasts of Holland in the aftermath of the Ten Days' Campaign and the

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, with his flag on ''Médée''. The next year, Ducrest de Villeneuve became

préfet maritime A maritime prefect ( French: ''Préfet maritime'') is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in a particular region under French jurisdiction, known as a maritime arrondissement (''Arrondissement maritime''). His admini ...

of Lorient. He retired in 1842

Honours

* Grand officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

, 26 April 1840.

Sources and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy (; 11 June 1795 – 16 December 1856) was a French politician. He was born at Condom, Gers of a poor family of Irish extraction. He joined the army in 1813, and in the following year joined the household troops of L ...

, ''Notice biographique sur le contre-amiral Ducrest de Villeneuve'', Nouvelles Annales de la marine et des colonies, P. Dupont, Paris, avril 1852 * Hubert Granier, ''Histoire des marins français: 1815-1870, la marche vers la République'', 2002 * P. Lerot, ''Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins'', 186 * Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome deuxième : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducrest de Villeneuve, Alexandre Louis French Navy admirals French sailors 1777 births French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1852 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery